The European Telecoms Commissioner, Viviane Reding, isn’t at all happy about this, and has added the cost of SMS roaming charges to the long list of things she’d like to see mobile phone operators cut the cost of, or abolish.

“EU citizens should be free to text across borders without being ripped off,” she said. “Roaming charges have already drained the wallets of mobile customers too much. It is not a good sign for the competitiveness of Europe’s mobile industry that it still hasn’t got the message that credible price reductions are needed to avoid regulation.”

No time scale has been set for seeking telecoms companies to comply with this, and it’s not clear what measure the EC might take if they don’t, but at least it’s been put on the table for ministers to stare, point, and shake their heads at.

Much simpler, but less practical, is not to take your mobile phone abroad — ever. Wrap it up in nice soft cotton wool and put it in a cardboard box in the airing cupboard next time you need to venture outside Britain.